Machine for shearing woolen cloths



' UNITED sTArrEs 122AirEru oEErcE.

SETH PARSONS, OF HOOSIGK FALLS, `NEIV YORK.

MACHINE non SHEARI'NG `wooLEN cLo'rHs. l

Specification of Letters Patent No. 1,015, dated November 25, 1838.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it lmown that I, SETH PARSONS, of Hoosick Falls, in the county of Rensselaer, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Shearing Woolen Cloth, by means of which improvements I am enabled to shear broad and narrow cloths, the ma chine operating upon it in its passage back and forth both ways without chan ing it from end to end, thereby saving muc i time, while by the general construction of the machine other important advantages are obtained; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full `and exact description thereof. e l

In many respects this machine resembles that for which I obtained Letters Patent, dated the 2nd day of March, in the year 1819, but it differs from it in the essential particular above referred to, namely, in its shearing the `cloth in its passageback and forth. In connection with this I have also devised a mode of reversing the motion of the brush, so as to brush the nap either way, as occasion may require, and to raise and lay the nap with the same brush. I have also constructed improved regulating plates, which are attached to the cushion over which the cloth passes as it is presented to the action of the shears.

In this machine I employ the iying shears for the manufacturing of which Letters Patent were granted to me, dated the 7th day of June, 1838, and which are fastened by screws on to a hollow wrought iron shaft usually of about two and a half inches in diameter. In the drawing No. 1, which is an elevation of the front of the machine, these flying shears, on their shaft, are shown at A, and in No. 5, Figure G, which is an end view, also separately, in the drawing Fig. A, No. 5, where onlyone blade of the shears is represented on the shaft that it may be seen more distinctly. They are also seen in section marked 1, in drawing No. 4, which is a vertical section of the machine fro-m front to back, exhibiting the respective rollers, brushes, and other parts to be described. The blades of the flying shears as they revolve, operate against the bed shear, (2) which is a plate of iron, faced with steel, about the same thickness with the blades of the flying shears, and about three inches wide. This bed shear s marked B, in the front elevation, No. 1; itis ground oi, along its upper side, so as to form a suitable edge for the Hying shears to act upon. This plate, or bed shear is aiiixed to acast iron .bar to give it suiicient support (a) No. 4, to

which it is attached by screws the heads of which are shown in it at B, No. 1. The ends of this bar rest upon the frame at either end oft-he machine (14) Nos. 2 and 3, which` are a right and a left hand view of the ends of the machine. The bearing of this bar is usually about 2% inches wide, having mortises through to regulate it by means of nuts and screws up to the flying shears. The shaft of these shears run inadjustable standards `(3), made to raise,or lower by means of nuts and screws,.as may be found necessary.

The cushion over which the cloth passes, and by whichit is presented to the action of the shears against the bed shear, is constructed as follows: A cast iron bar, to give to it the requisite stiffness, reaches across the machine in the manner `of that attached to the bed shear. is shown at (36) No. 4, and separately at C, No. 5; (7) is the cast iron bar, (36) is a cushion plate attached by rivets to this bar, which plate is about the same thickness and width as the bed shear. On the front side ,of

this cushion plate is pla-cedl a strip of iron called the regulating plate (4) Fig. C, No. 5,

this is about one and a fourth inch wide, and of the same length with the cushion plate; it is hinged on its lower edge, so as to admit its upper edge to be brought close up under the edge of the cushion plate, or removed to the distance of half an inch, or to any intermediate distance from it, carrying the cloth, as it -passesrover it, andover the edge of the cushion plate, to, or from the bed shear. The manner inwhichgthis regulating plate is held in its place, is shown at Fig. D, No. 5. e

A plate (5) projects at right Vangles from one end of the cushion plate, to which it is attached, a spring 4lever `(3) is attached at one end tothe regulating plate (4) and has near its other end a pin which falls into holes in the plate (5) drilled in a segment of a curve of which the hinge of theregulat ing plate forms' the center. There may be any convenient number of such holes, to govern the approach of the regulating plate toward the bed shear. The object of this A section of this cushion regulating plate is to govern the length Vof the nap on the different kinds of goods; and

lating plate, and the castiron stiffening bar' to which they are attached, is made capable Yof adjustment, so that it can be either raised, or lowered, or made to approach, or recede from, the flying shears, and bed'shear. For this purpose these are iron plates (.37) Nos. 2, 3, and 4, which are-about nine inches long, and an inch and a half wide, one at either' end ofl the cushion, lying flat against the ends of the fram-e, to which they are attached at their lower ends by joint pins,.or screws, upon which they vibrate. These plates have longitudinal mortises in them which receive the ends Vof the cushion, formed into tenons for that purpose; the mortises are made long enough to allow the tenons to have play up and down within them. A screw (8) No. 4, serves to raise or lower the cushion, working in female screws formed therein for that purpose. These screws may have wooden heads (8) Nos. 2, 3, and 4, by which they may be readily turned. The weight of thev cushion "may be so managed as to cause it to incline toward the shears, or it may be kept up by the action of the weight (11)\No. 4, attached to a line passing` over a. pulley, and tothe shank of the screw (8) or to the bars (37), or in other ways. To regulate Vthe distance at which it shall stand from the flying shea-rs, screws, (41) Nos. 2, 3, and 4, pass through the front of the frame, their inner ends bearing against the plates (37). These screws have indexes on them (i) Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, with index plates, No. 1, by which to adjust them with great precision. l/Vhen it is desired to shear the cloth and save the list, I effect this` by a modification in the construction of the cushion. Fig. E, No. 5, shows the cushion thus modified, in perspective, as seen on the back side of` it. A cast iron plate (7) which for a full sized machine may be one fourth of an inch thick, and three inches wideyhas a rib (8) along the middle of it, which may be half an inch thick, and rise to the same distance, which serves not only to stiften the plate, but receives two half round pieces of iron (9), which may be lseven Yeighths of an inch wide, and eighteen inches long, and are firmly riveted to said rib. This half round serves asV a support, and asa center for the cushion to turn upon, to and from the shears; suit able bearings being provided to receive these half rounds, in standards rising perpendicularly from .arms running horizontally` hack from the front posts of ,thev machine Vfor vthat purpose; they are sof ixedas to be it taut. `takes the cloth forward, is shown at (21) raisedrand lowered by means of screws, the

V`screws'(41) Nos. 2 and 3, before described,

serving to adjust thiscushion on its face. The half roundsallow it to be shifted endwise on its bearings. A piece o-f nail plate (.6) which may be three inches wide, is riveted along the cast iron plate (7) lapping upon it about an inch; its upper edge is made straight, and in proper shape for the cloth to pass over. On this is to be fixed a regulating plate, 'operating and governed like that already described. Fig. F, is a front view of said cushion. A.V piece of wood (10) is fastened by wood screws on the back of the above described plates.v It. is so. formed as to admitV the cloth to pass readily over it, and is faced by an iron plate; by which means great additional stiffness is given to the whole cushion.

In order to draw the cloth through the machine from both ends, I construct two drawing rollers; which rollers, as will presently appear, are alternately used as friction rollers also to strain the cloth and keep The lower drawing roller, which No. 4. On one end of the shaft of this roller is a cog wheel (211) No. 3, which is about one foot in diameter, and has 130 cogs; (17) No. 4, is the upper drawing roller, which draws the cloth back, after it has passed the shears in the forward motion. The upper drawing' roller is carried by a cog wheel (17) No. 3, similar to that on the lower drawing roller. These two cog wheels are alternately driven by a pinion (18) on one end of the main shaft. This pinion has its gear from one to the other, changed by means of the lever (12) carrying the arm (13) No. 3, thus causing the reversing motion of the drawing rollers,

and carrying-them with equal velocity in either direction. The arm (13) forms the bearing of one end of the main sha-ft, which, of course vibrates with it. The fulcrum of -the lever (l2) is at (53) on one of the corner ion in either of the cog wheels as required.

On the right hand end of the machine No. 2, isa stationaryY pulley (22) on the opposite end of the main shaft, fourteen inches in diameter. On the same end of this shaft is a second pulley (1'2) nine inches in diameter, which is either a fast or loose pulley according as it is thrown into or out of gear with the pulley (22), itbeing furnished with two engaging cogs vfor that purpose. rIhe pulley (12) is that to which the driving power is'applied. The band on pulley (22), drives `theshears (1) and the brush (28). The pulley (12) is engaged llO with, or disengaged from the larger pulley (22) by the apparatus attached to the spring lever (23), one end of which is at` t-ached to the front post of the machine; it has on it a bow (18), which is receivedV into a groove, on the hub of the pulley (12); the other end o-f the spring (23), is held by a suitable latch, or catch, at (26), so that it may be moved in, or out of gear byvmeans of the lever (24) No. 2. The cloth beams are marked (20) and (25) No.4. These are placed above the drawing rollers, upon which they rest, and are carried aroundby their friction against them. The cloth beams are kept in their places, and allowed to play up and down by the passing of their gudgeons into long mortises (27 and (30) No. 4, in the timbers which sustain them', thus adapting themselves to the quantity of cloth wound upon them. When the cloth is being wound off from one of these beams, it is being wound on to the other, and it is requisite that the one from which it is to be wound shall turn freely, which it could not do if resting upon the drawing roller. It is therefore raised up, clear from said roller, and so retained as long as it is being dra-wn olf. This may be effected in various ways, but that which I have adopted is shown at (34) and (35), No. 4, which are studs, or catches of iron, about eight inches long, so placed that when turned up, their hooked ends, prepared for that purpose, will catch under the gudgeons, and hold the cloth rollers up.

Bridles (42) and (43) with weights (44) operating upon them, so as to strain the cloth, are to be put upon the ends of the drawing rollers, operating and regulated in the same way with the bridles on the cloth beam in my former patent. I employ the same kind of oiling apparatus, also, as that used by me under my former patent, excepting that the oiler levers (45) Nos. 2 and 3, are moved by a pin, or cog (47) No. 2, in the drawing roller, instead of the cloth beam, and are put on outside of the frame.

lhen this machine is put into operation, the cloth starts from the upper cloth beam (25) No. 4, and the drawing roller (17), passes thence under the cylinder (15), thence up between` the brush (29), and the knuckle board (5); which knuckle board extends along the machine turning o-n gudgeons on its ends, and is acted upon by the spring lever.(51) No. 3, which spring lever is held in its place by notches in the plate (52), it is thus made to bear the cloth with any desired degree of force against the brush (29) No. 4. Thence it passes up over the cushion and regulating plate, to be sheared against the bed shear; it then passes down over roller (16), above and back of the brush (28), and under the cylinder (19) which I call the relief cylinder, as it turnsupon a frame (48),

by the aid of which the cloth may be re- `moved toward, or from the brush "(28), as

may be desired; After leaving the roller (19) the cloth is conducted to the drawing roller (21), and on to the cloth beam (20) `as represented and described. The lever (10) fNo; v3, serves to turn the frame of the relief cylinder, and. is held in place by notches on the iron plate A rod of wood, tosustain the cloth when first put' upon the machine, is sustained by the standards (49) Nos. 2, 3, and 4@ An iron plate (50) No. 2, isused to hold the cushion back when necessary. vThe shifting brush (29) is about three inches in diameter, and has a pulley on its shaft ateach end, one of these pulleys, in driven from that of the lower brush (28) No. 3; the other is driven by a band from the tightening pulley (6) No. 2, which pulley runs upon a regulating plate (0) having a slot in it, and fastened by a screw nut. The object of having a driving pulley upon each end of this brush, is to give an opportunity of reversing its motion, according as one, or t-he other of these pulleys is in gear with its shaft.V A rod, or bar eX- tends from side to side of the machine, and is bent down at right angles at each end, forming the plates (32) (32) Nos. 2, and 3. These plates are arched at'their lower ends and are received into a groove on the hubs vof the respective pulleys (29) (29) by shifting this rod endwise, which may be done by a lever (33) No. 3, or in any other convenient way, one of the pulleys is thrown out of gear with the brush shaft, and the other in, by engaging gear well known to machinists. This brush is thus used either to raise or lay the nap as required. Thepulley (1) of the flying shears shaft, is also thrown out of, and into gear, by sliding it endwise. For this purpose, I employ the spring lever (58) No. 2, which acts within a groove in the hub of that pulley; there being a notch in an iron plate (59), to hold the spring lever (58), when the pulley is thrown out of gear; the spring returning it into gear when liberated from the notch.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The employment of the drawing apparatus, as herein described, for the purpose of passing the cloth from end to end in both directions, and shearing it in its passage back and forth. I do not claim the drawing apparatus when used singly, and operating in a. manner analogous to that above described; but that combination and arrangement thereof by which the. double action is effected. l i

2. I claim also the mode of employing the draw cylinders, alternately, as friction, o r bridle Acylinders, to strain the cloth, substantially ini the manner set forth.

3. I also claim the particular manner of forming the cushions, with their regulada-v ?Wth the drawing appara-tus as herein deing plates, either as constructed for-shear- 'scribed Y ing the Whole Width of the, cloth, or of savf ing the list, as described. l

4. I claim likewise theV reversing of the Witnesses: motion of the brush,l so as to operate upon L. CHANDLER BALL, the napr in either direction in combina-tion LYMAN WILDER.-

SETI-i PARSONS. 

